Hiking the Great Sand Dunes | Traveling with Kids (Part 1)
Today I'm sharing a bit of our experience at one of Colorado's National Parks, the Great Sand Dunes. This is part two of "The Best Road Trip Ever," as expressed by my kiddos. If you missed part 1, you can find it here. It's just a little intro to our trip, and where I explain what we'll be doing and how, as a homeschooling family, we make it educational and exciting. But really, you don't have to homeschool to make this work ;) Anyway, so the Great Sand Dunes is located in the San Luis Valley, in the easternmost parts of Alamosa County and Saguache County, Colorado, United States. (Got that off of Wikipedia) Because honestly I had no idea there were even sand dunes in Colorado until I found it in this book that my SIL sold me on. It was a life saver in planning this trip, but also in finding where and when to go to any National Park, and even what to do and things to look for once you're there! A mother's dream I tell ya! Made my job a lot easier.
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We traveled across some pretty desolate places before the mountains started to appear, and then there they were. Miles of sand just dumped at the base of these beauties. It was an unseasonably cold and windy day, the rangers tell us. And there was a storm approaching, but we hustled and had our fun before things took a turn. Here's a look at our sandy adventure!
There's just one problem with sand dunes.... sand everywhere!!! But hey, we knew what we were getting into.
I HAVE to tell you, as a homeschool mom, I love what the National Park system has done for our children. They've set up what's called a Junior Ranger program. So, every national park or national monument we visited, had this program where the kids could learn (on their own level) about what they were seeing / experiencing, how it got their (though our opinions differed a bit in that area sometimes), and what types of plants and animals lived there. My kids learned SO much and they didn't even realize they were learning because it was so fun. At the end of visit, they would turn their little homework packets in to a park ranger, he would swear them in as Junior Rangers, and then they'd each receive their very own ranger badge and patch. So cute!
Have you been here before? I'd love to hear about your experience! Or what national park is your favorite? We're making a list with the help of my bff, this national parks book, and the plan is to see how many we can get to before our kiddos are out on their own. (Sad thought. Don't wanna think about that.) Anyway, let me know what ya think! Up next, the Petrified Forest in Arizona ;)